1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates a telescoping steering column assembly and method of manufacturing the assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various assemblies and methods of manufacture relating to telescoping steering columns for a vehicle are known in the art. Such an assembly and method of manufacture are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,300 (the '300 patent) to Burkhard, et al. The '300 patent discloses an outer jacket defining at least one hole and a central axis, in which an inner jacket is disposed and slides relative to the outer jacket along the central axis. A bushing is disposed between the inner and outer jackets and defines a chamber. A molten material is injected into the hole of the outer jacket and fills the chamber between the inner and outer jackets to define a plug. However, there are inconsistencies in the molten material when the molten material fills the chamber, such as spaces formed in the molten material, which decreases the quality of the plug and fails to fill the tolerances between the inner jacket and the outer jacket.
Therefore, there remains a need to develop a telescoping steering column assembly and method of manufacturing for a vehicle having a plug to completely fill the spaces between the inner and outer jackets and increase the quality of the plug.